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It's unclear how a recent flurry of activity will affect the primary matchups between Republicans Jane Norton and Ken Buck (left, second from left), and Michael Bennet and Andrew Romanoff. | AP photo composite by POLITICO

Down to the wire in Colorado

DENVER — The week leading up to Colorado's pair of cliffhanger Senate primaries has featured a New York Times story calling into question the incumbent senator's past judgment on financial risk, a hastily arranged presidential tele-town hall meeting and a visit from Sen. John McCain on behalf of a fallen GOP front runner.

But it’s unclear how much impact any of this final flurry of activity will have because even though primary day is technically Tuesday, most of the election is already over.

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With a majority of Colorado counties using the mail in system, it's estimated that more than half of expected voters — upwards of 200,000 in each party— had already cast ballots by Friday.

It's a unique situation where a last-minute attack or development may not pack the expected punch.

That could be the case with the New York Times story on Friday that described in exhaustive detail the financial strategy Sen. Michael Bennet, while serving as Denver school superintendent, used in trying to rescue the system’s endangered teacher pension fund. According to the Times account, “the transaction went awry,” costing the school system $25 million more than it anticipated.

The Times story appeared "at a time when roughly 250,000 Democrats had already cast their votes in the primary," said University of Denver political science professor Seth Masket. “If that story caused any of them to change their minds, it was too late to make a difference in the election,” he said.

The early vote totals certainly haven't stopped all sides from taking their best shots in hopes of swaying those last-minute potential participants that could still number in the tens of thousands.

Recent polls had indicated that it was the two candidates who have positioned themselves as outsiders – Republican Ken Buck and Andrew Romanoff, Bennet’s Democratic opponent - who seemed to hold the advantage in a western state that's become the latest test case of anti-establishment fervor.

But two new polls from Public Policy Polling released Monday showed Bennet with a small lead and the Republican race too close to call.

On the Democratic side, it has been Romanoff, a former House Speaker, who has been throwing and landing most of the late-round jabs, positioning himself as the latest in a string of upstart contenders looking to upset the apple cart.

Beginning the race with anemic fundraising and facing a double-digit polling deficit had moved into a dead heat with Bennet in the closing weeks by launching a withering assault on the former school superintendent, who was appointed to the Senate seat and whose name has never appeared on a ballot.

While Bennet enjoys the support of national Democrats and President Barack Obama, Romanoff has deep ties to party regulars on the ground who remain deeply loyal to him for his decade-long work rebuilding a dilapidated and disenchanted party.

In addition to pummeling Bennet for taking corporate money from oil and banking interests, Romanoff has attempted to cast doubts on his past business dealings and received an assist from the Times story.

Romanoff's campaign appeared prepared to pounce, quickly putting up an ad that slammed Bennet for cutting "an exotic deal with Wall Street" that cost Denver schools "$25 million and counting."